11

There are many studies that highlight the positive effects of bilingualism in the field of language, culture, identity, psychology, and EF (Bijeljac-Babic 2017). However, some authors question the existence of these effects (Paap et al. 2015). In this paper, we seek to clarify the effect of bilingualism on executive functions and academic performance in bilingual Lebanese children. A battery of tests assessing executive functioning and mathematical and reading skills was administered to monolingual and bilingual students between 8 and 10 years attending school in Lebanon. The results confirm the expected positive relationships between bilingualism, flexibility, and inhibition, as well as with reading and mathematics performance. However, we show that there is no relationship between bilingualism and cognitive impulsivity. Finally, lexical access among bilinguals is slower and less accurate than among monolinguals. In light of these results, two new research paths are discussed related to academic skills and rehabilitation interventions.